World Class Performance Conference to be held in November 2011

World Class Performance Conference set to ExCel in London@UK Sport

UK Sport has today announced that the 2011 World Class Performance Conference will be held in the heart of east London, home to the London 2012 Olympic Park, at ExCel London in the Royal Docks.

Taking place in London for the first time, the Conference will run from Monday 14 to Wednesday 16 November, and provide the final opportunity for the entire high performance Olympic and Paralympic community to unite ahead of London 2012. Fittingly, ExCel London will be an Olympic venue when the Games get underway in 416 days time, hosting seven Olympic and six Paralympic events, including Taekwondo, Judo, Boccia, Table Tennis, Fencing, Sitting Volleyball and Boxing.

Since its inception in 2001, the World Class Performance Conference has become the key event in the diaries of coaches, performance directors and sports science and medicine practitioners, as the one opportunity every year for the entire Olympic and Paralympic high performance community to come together to network, debate and share best practice. The aim is to equip these individuals with the skills and knowledge to make sustainable improvements to their sport’s World Class Performance Programme.

Looking ahead to the critical period leading up to the Games, as well as British prospects beyond 2012 at Glasgow and Sochi in 2014 and Rio in 2016, the Conference this year will explore the theme of ‘Aspiration’. Following previous Conference themes of ‘Teamship’ (2009) and ‘Courage’ (2010), this year’s event will focus on the immediate aspirations for success next summer, as well as the aspiration to generate a high performance legacy that goes far beyond the impending milestone of London 2012.

Sam Whale, Coaching Team Co-ordinator, said: “The Conference is a key development opportunity for the people who are driving the performances of British athletes forward on a day to day basis. Following the Beijing Games in 2008, we have designed each of the Conferences that have followed with London 2012 in mind, and this will complete the journey, offering a chance for collaboration, as well as sharing challenges and best practice, heading into the Games next year.”

Peter Keen, Director of Performance, said: “The Conference is now in its 11th consecutive year, having become an important annual event in British high performance sport. This year, more than most, is significant given that come November we will be a little over eight months from the London start line.

“Our theme of aspiration reflects the short term hopes and ambitions we share for 2012, as well as the unique opportunity that hosting the Games presents towards driving long term success in British sport.

“I am very much looking forward to bringing all our Performance Directors, Coaches and key support staff together at Excel London, right at the heart of where our home Games will take place.”